Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Barbara Baker, 70, leaves her room at Cottage Grove Nursing Home in Jackson to receive treatment at DaVita dialysis center. She can't sit upright in a wheelchair, so an ambulance comes to get her.

Madison County supervisors on Monday ordered a new ambulatory provider to cease operations inside the county until they could examine their ordinance and laws surrounding ambulances. Charles William Francis III of Reliant Medical Transportation LLC was called in front of the board after county officials got wind of his company last week.

Jack Wayne had a stroke and couldn't talk when medical professionals loaded him onto a chopper at Forrest General Hospital in Hattiesburg. He was airlifted to University of Mississippi Medical Center, where he said he received great care, followed by a full recovery. That's until, Wayne said, he thought his $42,000 helicopter bill might give him another stroke.

The Clarion Ledger recently published an article, “Out-of-network air ambulance gouges stroke patient, then asks for non-disclosure,” suggesting the air medical industry is the culprit behind high costs of transporting critically ill or injured patients to definitive care, and that air medical providers engage in predatory billing practices during a patient’s time of need. The article is one-sided and misleading...

We’ve been critical of the state Supreme Court over its anti-business ruling in the Costco matter by effectively making it illegal for economic developers to negotiate with developers — and now come the Board of Supervisors sending a surprisingly harsh message about ambulances. Supervisors on Monday ordered a new non-emergency ambulance provider to cease operations until they can examine their ordinance.